Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-08-19
THE CUFF AND COLLAR.
NIMBLE FINGERED GIRLS WHO EARN
GOOD WAGES EACH WEEK.
Corner Turning an Art in Making Col
lars.Ironers and Starchers Well Paid.
The Skillful Suspender Workers-A

Corner Turning an Art in Making Col
lars.Ironers and Starchers Well Paid.
The skillful suspender workers-A
Woman's Starch Making Secret-Wages.
Who has not heard "The Song of the
Shirt?'' but the song of the cuff and COL
Lar remains yet to be written. and the
carol of the suspender would make an ex-
cellent new poem The wicked man who
purchases q shirt for 81, which some poor
woman has made for five cents, is also
righteous because he wears a collar made
by girl who earns $35 week and cuffs
turned out at $25 weeks wages.
ssYou don't believe that collar maker
can earn $35 week?' said the repre-
sentative Of large house that deals in
these trifes. SIT does sound rather large,
and will admit that there are only
couple OF hundred girls that 1 know Of
earning that amount for that work, but il
you doubt my veracity, why go up to our
factory and ask the girls themselves.
You know the great secret of making a
collar is to turn the points perfectly
square, and there are very few women
who can do that. The best collars are
made four-fold-that is, there are two
thicknesses of linen in between the outer
coverings, and it takes considerable skill
to stitch them, turn them and stitch
again. The girl whose fingers and eyes
can do the work nicely need never lack
for living as long as men need collars''
inquiry at one or two collar factories in
town revealed the truth of the young
mans remarks. The girls who make the
Ars6 quality of linen collars earn on an
average from $25 to $50 week. Their
WORK is all piece work, that is they are
PAID by The dozen, and the amount they
earn depends largely upon how much time
they spend each day ct the machine.
The CUT makers come next in price to
the collar makers. The work has not to
be SO perfect, but badly turned corner is
not accepted, and adopts earn from SIS to
$50 a week. A good collar maker can
turn out about ten dozen collars a day.
sometimes more. Five dozen pairs of
cuffs is considered an excellent days work.
OF course this does not include buttonhole
making, which is done by machine.
Washing and ironing have not always
been considered lucrative employment, vet
we have girls in our collar and cuff factory
who make $15 to $1S week at it, said
the proprietor of one Of the largest fac
tories in the state. "Every one knows
how perfectly new collars are ironed.
Some of the work is done by machinery.
but most of it by hand The starching is
the principal thing to etright, and good
starcher, who does no other work. can
make fully as much as an ironer and often
more.
A STARCH MAKING SECRET.
Zone girl in our factory has a secret
way of making the starch, and allows nc
one in the room but her little sister while
she is making it. She puts a certain ouan-
t1ty OF borax or wax in it that CLOSES the
linen beautifully, and we pay her S25 a
week just for her talent. When her little
sister gets old enough and has learned the
secret well we shall take her into our en-
ploy.''
"What do the medium class ironers and
starchers make?' was asked.
Every few fall below 81, but think
the average is about $40 The work is
very tlresome, Of course, but most of our
girls seem to stand it well, and 1 never
heard OF one OF them dying of consump-
ton. Indeed we took In a frail little
thing OF eighteen who had been a dress
maker. The doctor said perhaps the work
might save her, and it did. She is now as
plump and rosy as though she had never
had sick day."
1t would seem from this information as
though laundry work was not the drudgery |!
y is thought to be. It was learned that |
the 1roners at the many Troy laundries in
this city earn from $40 to $15 on an aver
age, and extra good ones more. A cent |
for each collar or cuff is frequently paid |
the best ironers, ana some of them iron as |
many as 800 day. This, of course, by
machine.
Suspender makers are another class of |
women workers, who, if proficient can
man an excellent living. It is said that
here are only two women known to the
'rade who can set in the small extra piece
II leather at the hattonhole on the finer
lass of suspenders. This piece is an ex-
ia lining to hold the button hole stitching
veil, and must be placed without q 4.
wrinkle. These two workers make some 4
$40 week. One is the wife of a well to |
10 clothier and works for one firm only. /
Ten cents a dozen is the magnificent
UNI paid for stitching the cheapest sus-
lenders; 81 day is considered fair wages J
It that class of work. A dollar dozen
5 about the usual price paid for the best
lass OF work, and a very smart woman
an make So day.
Neckties We're at one time excellent paw,
ut they are no longer the intricate things
hey were in the days of "shirt covers,
nd only a few women earn more than q
wing making them.-NeW York Journal. |